544 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 3 



The nest with spotted eggs, described by Carriker (Ann. Carnegie 

 Mus., vol. 6, 1910, p. 710) as of this flycatcher, may have been that 

 of some other species. 



As these slender little birds move actively through their cover the 

 long tail is switched from side to side. They often utter chattering 

 calls, and also sing in low, sweet-toned modulated phrases, wheet-eet, 

 wheet-eet, zvhee. 



Their food is a variety of small insects, often seized in active 

 movement from the leaves of the shrubs through which the birds 

 range. I found them also coming to berry trees to eat the drupes in 

 company with other small birds. 



The subspecies semifiava, found in Panama, ranges also through 

 Costa Rica to Nicaragua. 



SERPOPHAGA CINEREA GRISEA Lawrence: Torrent 

 Tyrannulet, Moscareta de Torrentes 



Figure 46 



Serpophaga grisca Lawrence, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 10, No- 

 vember 1871, p. 139. (Near San Jose, Costa Rica.) 



Small ; breast and back gray ; crown, tail, and wings black. 



Description. — Length 95-105 mm. Adult male, crown, sides of 

 head, and hindneck black ; a concealed area in the center of the crown 

 white ; back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail coverts gray ; lesser wing 

 coverts slate-black centrally, edged with gray ; rest of wing black, 

 with the greater and middle coverts edged with grayish white in the 

 form of indefinite bars ; tail dull black tipped indistinctly with grayish 

 white (this marking often lacking) ; chin and throat grayish white; 

 breast, sides, flanks, axillars, and under wing coverts pale gray ; 

 center of breast and abdomen white ; under tail coverts and tibia 

 slightly grayish. 



Female, with crown and hindneck slightly duller black ; white crown 

 patch reduced, in some nearly lacking. 



Juvenile, crown dusky mixed with dull gray ; upper surface 

 brownish gray, darker on the upper tail coverts. 



In specimens taken near El Volcan, Chiriqui, in March 1954 and 

 1965, both male and female had the iris dark brown ; bill black ; tarsus, 

 toes, and claws black ; inside of mouth, including the tongue, orange. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Chiriqui and Costa Rica), wing 

 50.1-53.5 (51.9), tail 36.Q-43.4 (40.1), culmen from base 10.2-11.0 

 (10.6), tarsus 15.3-16.5 (16.1) mm. 



Females (10 from Chiriqui and Costa Rica), wing 48.0-51.7 



